Detectives from the Vermont State Police were able to make an arrest in the 1989 slaying of a Danby couple who were discovered stabbed to death in their home, thanks to a drop of blood that was exposed to cutting-edge DNA testing, according to police.
According to authorities, Michael Anthony Louise, 79, was detained on Thursday in Syracuse, New York, on two counts of second-degree murder in the deaths of George Peacock, 76, and Catherine Peacock, 73.
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The Peacocks were discovered dead on September 17, 1989. There were no indications that the home had been broken into forcibly or that anything of value had been taken.
About two weeks later, Louise, who was married to one of the Peacocks’ daughters, was named as a suspect. Circumstantial evidence was gathered at the time by investigators linking Louise to the murders, according to the police.
Until forensic tests in May 2020 established a DNA match to George Peacock in a spot of blood found inside Louise’s car in October 1989, detectives were unable to make a solid connection.
The blood sample had previously undergone testing, but the results were inconclusive, according to the release. Advances in forensic technology over the past decades allowed investigators to match the blood to George, police said.
Authorities could not provide an explanation for why it took two years to make an arrest after a DNA match, but they did state that more details would be provided after Louise is arraigned.
If Louise has a lawyer, it was not immediately known. When he will be brought back to Vermont to answer the charges is also not yet known.
(With inputs from agencies)
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